BARCELONA are ’99 per cent’ sure they will sack manager Ronald Koeman at the end of the season after failing to finish in the top two in LaLiga for the first time since 2008.
The Catalan giants’ title bid was ended on the penultimate weekend of the season as they were beaten 2-1 at home by Celta Vigo.
The defeat turned out to be irrelevant anyway as Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid both won to move clear of Barcelona with just one game remaining.
It is the first time in 13 years that the club have finished below the runners-up spot, the last time coming in the 2007-08 season when they boasted the likes of Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho.
And it could get worse for Barca as a defeat in their final league game of the campaign away at Eibar will see them drop down to fourth if Sevilla beat Alaves.
The only silver lining was their 4-0 Copa del Rey final victory over Athletic Bilbao.
Off the back of a poor season, RAC1 believe that Barcelona are ’99 per cent’ certain Koeman will be let go in the summer.
It has been reported that the only way he will remain at the Nou Camp is if they cannot find a suitable replacement.
Koeman’s reign at Barca has been a disappointing one since he arrived at the beginning of the 2020-21 season.
Along with their LaLiga troubles, they were also thumped 5-2 by Paris Saint-Germain across the two legs of their Champions League last 16 tie.
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Meanwhile behind the scenes, they have been forced to deal with a presidential race which only came to a conclusion at the beginning of March when Joan Laporta was elected.
And then there has been the ever-present speculation over the future of Messi given his contract expires at the end of the season.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the squad were also forced to take a 50 per cent pay cut as the financial struggles at Barcelona were felt throughout the club.
Among those who are being touted as potential candidates to replace Koeman include current Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and club legend Xavi.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
